Chapter 54: Archer’s skills

Medea’s lessons ended when someone knocked on the door.

“Senpai.”

Haruki left Medea’s lap and dressed up. “Spiritual form.”

Medea quickly vanished. Haruki opened the door to find Sakura. “Morning. Showered already?”

Sakura nodded with a shy smile while she fidgeted with her fingers behind her back. “I came to wake you up for school.”

She had come here after calming her fluttering heart. She couldn’t think straight as the events of last night kept flashing through her head. They were lovers now, but how should she act before him?

Haruki was about to stop Sakura from going to school, but Shinji’s face popped up in his head. That idiot might trigger Medusa’s Noble Phantasm to take over the school. He looked at the clock showing seven o’clock and nodded. “I have to train with Archer too. Where is Rin?”

“Sleeping. Rin Nee-san isn’t an early riser.”

“I’ll get her later. Can you cook breakfast?”

“I already did the preparations,” Sakura said, revealing a confident smile. “I also washed your clothes.”

Since she couldn’t contribute in any other way, she had taken over all the housework in her hands.

“Someone’s pretty active today,” he said with a cheeky grin and pinched her cheeks. “I’ll be out for a couple of minutes after training.”

Semiramis had contacted him during his lessons, asking to meet as soon as possible. She was up to something again. Possibly another scheme.

“Senpai…” Sakura glanced up, her eyes nearly tearing up. “It hurts.”

Haruki hurriedly released his hold on her cheeks, finding them beet red. He gently rubbed her cheeks.

‘It’s hard to control my strength sometimes.’

***

Archer leaned back and stretched his legs on the slanted roof. The rays of dawn fell on his white hair and tanned face. He narrowed his gray eyes on one specific house in the northern area of Miyama Town. An old, elegant building surrounded by a barrier. He could even see the rusty door with his C-Rank Clairvoyance skill, commonly known as Hawkeye.

“Should I nuke him with Caladbolg?” he mused with a smirk and shook his head. “Rin won’t give me permission to use it.”

He jumped down from the roof and walked through the door. The faint aroma rippling through the air made him frown. He snuck into the kitchen. With his high-specced eyesight, he scrutinized the cooked rice, chicken, and other ingredients that were used for Onigiri.

‘The rice is a bit hard for Onigiri.’

Archer peeked his head out of the kitchen.

‘No one is here.’

He covered the pan and heated the stove at a low temperature. He waited until the rice achieved perfection.

He had suffered numerous years under Alaya’s contract. The contract that made him into a Heroic Spirit and a Counter Guardian. He was just the vessel of the True Heroic Spirit Emiya carrying out his duties saving millions by killing thousands in some timeline. The Throne of Heroes existed outside the concept of time, so Alaya could send her ‘guardians’ in infinite timelines that branched from the Root to ‘save’ humanity.

After becoming a Counter Guardian his beliefs changed, but one thing remained the same—his passion for cooking and every type of housework. It was the same when he was alive and well as Shirou Emiya.

He climbed the stairs to find Haruki rubbing Sakura’s cheeks. The two flirted first thing in the morning. His eyes widened as he gazed at his master’s ally.

‘He changed again.’

His C-Rank Mind’s Eye (True) skill helped him detect any and every danger to him. The young man before him gave signs of danger. Even a prodigy magus like Rin couldn’t trigger his instincts like Haruki. Archer trusted his skill, which came to fruition as a result of fighting numerous battles as a Counter Guardian. Haruki had grown stronger than the bottom tier servants. The magus who could do so were few and far between. This growth shouldn’t be achievable in years, much less a single night.

‘His secret might get him in trouble with the Clocktower.’

Archer couldn’t help but grin at Rin’s naivety. How wrong she was to think of Haruki as a normal person fighting for his mother.

“Archer, free for my training?” Haruki threw a question just as Archer moved toward Rin’s room. “Surely you didn’t forget.”

“I remember it. Let’s start with a morning walk to the forest. I’ll be waiting outside.”

“Alright.” Haruki patted Sakura’s head. “I’ll be back.”

“Okay.”

“You…” Arch muttered. “You two are talking like married couples…”

She had pushed him into this harem concept after he had given up on it entirely. She now had to watch him being lovey-dovey with his girls.

‘Jealous?’

“No.”

Sakura returned to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Haruki went back to his room and fetched his spear.

Mystic Code: Nameless Spear

Description: An unknown spear crafted using techniques from the Age of Gods.

Rank: Super Rare

Skills:

-Reinforcement [A]

Info: This Mystic Code enhances the user’s body.

Effect: The strength of reinforcement depends on the amount of mana. Strength points gained vary from 1 point to 30 points.

Haruki licked his lips. The full power of his spear made him Artoria’s equal in strength and even had the magical energy to keep it up for a long fight.

“It will become obsolete as you progress,” Arch said, fulfilling her role as his stalker. “You might have to use all of your magical energy to gain 1 strength point at some point.”

‘I will upgrade the spear when that time comes.’

“Haruki-sama, I can carry it for you,” Medea said from beside him and took the spear from him. She stored the spear in her robe and pulled out the marbles to place them on his study table. “What should I do with them?”

Haruki took all of the marbles from his pocket and threw them in a pouch. “We’ll collect more of these.”

They will immensely help him in creating Semiramis’ Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Haruki exited the house and met Archer.

“Follow me.”

Archer dashed out of the house. Haruki followed him through the unoccupied streets, keeping up with Archer just fine. Archer looked over his shoulder, only to get a grin from Haruki.

‘Quite the show off he is.’

Archer raised the bar for the training as he instantaneously vanished around the corner of the street. Haruki traced the lingering mana with his eyes and chased after Archer.